Full Packer Brisket (Costco) & New Pellet Grill.....Don't Want to Screw It Up

[gifty74]

Been cooking on a kamado for a year or so, and recently added a pellet grill for consistency. I have the hopper full, all ready to get up and put the meat on and let it go all day tomorrow for dinner. I had gotten a brisket (flat only, Choice) before and it came out dry on my kamado. Looking to improve this time around with the new grill (more consistent I hope).

I went with the Prime cut, full packer brisket, 11.75lb. Costco has it at $3.99/lb, a good bit cheaper than the Choice flat, which was surprising. Butcher said because it has all the fat on it that most trim (on the top). The full packer was the same price as the Choice flat, so seemed like a no-brainer to me, picked the Prime packer. So the plan is to trim it tonight, and rub with 1 part salt, 1 part pepper, and 1/2 part garlic powder. No injections.

After trimming I assume it'll be around 11lbs. I plan to put it on at 6am at 225, let it go for 8 hrs. Pull it, wrap it cap side down in some beef broth and a few spices, and put it back on at 275. Pull it when it hits 200-205.

Question, about when is it estimated I'll be pulling this thing if I start at 6am? Anything I should change to get a nice juicy, tender brisket? Thanks!

 

[73saint]

At 225, I can't give any input. But I cook exactly the same brisket (costco prime), and I do so at 250-275. At that temp I usually run 45 minutes to an hour per lb. I rotate, and keep the flat side to the coolest point. Keep my probe right where the flat and the point meet, in the middle. I pull when probe tender or around 200-203.

I have just found that 225 is too low for my cooker, but that's just me. At 250 I get consistent, perfectly moist smokey meaty goodness!

 

[kruizer]

A brisket is an unpredictable piece of meat when it comes to how much time is required.You should let it go until you see the stall which means it stops climbing in temp. Then wrap in butcher paper or foil until it will probe butter soft. I would leave the temp the same for the whole cook. Start it earlier (2am) and when it is done, you can wrap it in towels and put it in a cooler to maintain temp for several hours until ready to serve. Save the broth and skim the fat for au jus when you serve.

 

[gifty74]

Well thanks, I don't have all day either, for it to be running past 6-7pm. I am hoping for 45 min to an hr as well, so I might do it at 250 then. So you don't cut up your packer, just trim and throw it on? See a good bit in reading about burnt ends, cutting off the thinnest part of the flat because it burns and dries anyway, etc.

 

[gifty74]

Save the broth and skim the fat for au jus when you serve.

Thanks. So wrapping it in a foil pan, with some broth in there to steam, and saving all of that after the cook, is what you are referring to?

 

[NealBeforeZod]

Like kruizer said, I would recommend putting it on a little earlier. If you rush the end, your work will be for all for naught. Good luck and post the results!

 

[73saint]

Sometimes I will separate once it’s cooked and throw the point back on for burnt ends but I prefer just cooking the whole thing. You will have some smaller points of the flat that dry out but you can use that in things like chili or tacos. If you get the lions share of the meat at the right temp/probe tenderness you will have plenty of good slices.

I have a friend who cooks with a pellet smoker. He tries to mirror my cooks (I have an offset stick burner so it’s oranges to apples). Through our conversations, he has upped his brisket cook temps to 250-275, with good results.

 

[motolife313]

I'd put it in far side up. Put it in with meat probe and don't touch it and let the fat render out and get all juicey and carmelized. No need to mop it that will just cool it down

 

[wbf610]

Look up high temp brisket if you are in a hurry. At 225, you are looking at at least 12 hours or more.

I don’t separate the point and flat until the flat is probe tender. I normally start probing at around 195, but most seem to be tender for me at over 200. Once it is tender, I separate, wrap, and rest the flat for at least an hour in a cooler. The point gets cubed, sauced, and back in the heat for burnt ends.

 

[gmc2003]

Brisket smoked at 225* takes about 1.25 lbs. per hour. At 250* I believe it's about 1 lb. per hour, and at 275 it's about .75 lb per hour. These are just guidelines. With a pellet grill your heat source in at the bottom so I would go fat side down and protect the meat from the direct heat.

Chris

 

[SmokinAl]

I do mine at 270-280, they take about 45 minutes to 1 hour per pound with little to no stall.
I don't wrap them at all. When they are probe tender, which for me is usually around 200 degrees. I rest them on the counter for 1/2 hour & slice them up.
Al

 

[gifty74]

Great, thanks guys. The whole trimming process was certainly a learning experience. Think I did pretty well, but was all new to me. Has it on the pellet grill at 5:45am, hickory pellets. Smelling awesome. Need to get a foil pan to fit this thing, and I guess the plan is to foil pan it and cover with foil when it hits 160’ish, with a little beef broth. My pellet grill has dual meat probes so I’ll be able to keep a close eye on it. Take it up to 200 and pull it. Might cook at 275 to be sure it’s ready for 6pm dinner.

 

[gifty74]

Odd thing, meat is measuring 145F already 2 hrs into the cook. Put it in at 40F or so, right out of the fridge, at 5:45am. Didn’t think it would be up that high already. Expecting this to take 10-12 hrs, and guess it will stall, but still seems warm for how early it is. Grill temp set to 250.

 

[motolife313]

All meat gets up to about 120 quick then starts going up very slow after then. You will see it will start climbing very slow now

 

[gifty74]

Yeah, figured as much. Though seems to have blasted right through any stall that was going to happen. 5 hours in now and at 174. My kamado would not rise it up this quickly. Must be the increase in convection airflow assisted by the high fan speed of the pellet grill. Dialed it back to 225.

 

[gifty74]

Not sure I even need to wrap it, but def don’t want it to dry out. Don’t need the wrap to help it cook though it doesn’t seem.

 

[mrad]

Do you have a way of checking your actual grill temp, depending on the grill temps could vary 30 degrees.
also, have you checked temps in other parts of the brisket?

 

[gifty74]

Well, Put my portable probe in and it is within 2deg of the grill temp so that seems accurate. Had both the grill meat probe and my portable in the point and for some reason they were reading high, also within a few deg of each other. Just wrapped it, and re-inserted the probe and it’s now 158, down from 180 when I pulled it. So must have had it too close to the surface on the first prick, but not sure how because I was careful to bury it right in the middle of the point. Anyway, now it’s fat side up and raised the temp to 250 as I might not have even hit the stall yet, and thought I was past it.

 

[motolife313]

It cooled down while u were wrapping it I'd think. Just put trust into your thermometer. That's another reason I dint wrap anything or put suace on stuff till it's just about done cooking becuase it will cool it way down just like what happend to u

 

[gifty74]

So about time to pull it, still wrapped and at 202F. Looks all nice and moist, but wondering what the trick is to getting a good bark to form, or is brisket not a big bark builder?